Adjustable axle



Oct. 2 19.23. 1,469,698 n J. B. RILEY ADJ US TABLE AXLE Original Filed July 28 1921 Patented oct. 2, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFr-lcE.

JOHN B. RILEY, 0F RIDGELY, TENNESSEE.

ADJUSTABLE AXLE.

Application led July 28,1921, Serial No'. 488,265. Renewed December 12, 1922.

l'o all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. RILEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ridgely, in the county of Lake and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Axles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others' skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in adjustable axles for cultivators or other agricultural implements or for other vehicles to which it may be applied, and has for an object to provide an improved attachment for the arched axle of a cultivator or like farmin implement for the purpose of enabling t e operator to adjust the wheels and the plows or shovels toward or away from each other as may be required in the plowing or cultivation or fields of different characters.

For instance, the middles vary in width as do also the plant rows themselves, and the invention is made to compensate for variations in the same whereby the shovels may be brought to correct positions to carry on the proper cultivation of the plants, and the wheels made to travel between the rows.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved device in conjunction with the arched axle of a cultivator, or the like, whereby an adjustment of the wheels and plows may be had while the machine is in motion by simply turning a hand wheel. This is desirable inasmuch as the rows and middles are not regular, and` the machine proceeds through the lield the operator may turn the hand wheel now in one direction to widen the distance between the ground wheels and between the plows, and again in the opposite direction to draw the plows and wheels nearer together to conform to the character of the ground.

The invention will be more fully understood after reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the like parts are indicated by similar reference symbols throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view, with a portion omitted, 'of acultivator constructed according`to-the present invention.

*igure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the improved adjusting device.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4 4 in Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5, also in Fig. 3; and

Flgure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 in Figure 3.

Referring more articularly to the drawings, 1 designates tlIie tongue of the cultivator to which the draft animals are hitched; and 2 and 3 represent shovels or plows, while 4 and 5 show the ground wheels upon which the cultivator is supported.

In accordance with the present invention, the arched axle is made in two sections 6 and 7, having the usual end portions, on which the wheels 4 and 5 are journalcd, and the offset parts8 and 9 to which the shovels or p lows 2 and 3 are attached. The upper portions of the axle sections are received in sleeves 9 and 10 and are secured therein, as by bolts or other fastenings 11 and 12. The two sections of the axles are thus made to overlap or to extend in parallelism, and the sleeves 9A and 10, as indicated in Figs. 4 and. 6, are providedwith racks 13 and 14, havmg their teeth disposed toward one another, but placedin mesh with a pinion 15 which is fixed to a vertically disposed sha ft 16. The shaft 16 is movable vertically and is provided aits upper end with 'a hand wheel 17 by which the shaft is rotated in either direction. At its lower end the shaft fits in a bearing opening 1.8, formed in the baseof a block 19 which is fitted beneath the tongue 1, and takes the place of the bearing block used'at the present time in this location.

The block 19 is provided, as indicated in Fig. 5, with upstanding flanges 20 and 21 which receive and ti htly clamp the longitudinal side edges o the tongue 1. Moreover the block is provided with perforated lugs 22 and 23, extending from opposite ends thereof and lying beneath the tongue l for the purpose of receiving bolts 24 and which .pam am and have nuts 26 and 27 screwed upon teirupper td ends.- The nuts turned down tightly ma t a plate-28 which re 'per surfaceof the ton e1. 'lfhe tone is usbound out at t e portion where the axle connects with the same by t 'strong me e ic parts which secure .the and axle sectionsv tightly together. block mda i i y di y `sed channels 29 and 30, made trversely neath the tongue 1 for slidably receiving the sleeves 9' and 10, together with their rack portions' 13 and 14. The pinion 15 is located in acentral recess or socket 31 in the block Y19,- which opens at its opposite sides intothe channels 29 and 30 land rmits Athe teeth ci the pinion 15 to lg the teeth of the rack portions 13 and 11.

.A toothed wheel 32is sec ,1 a.; to the shaft 16 just above the plate 28, and is adapted to receive a` pawl or dog 33, formed un a rock shaft 34, journaled wie bearingsl 35 upon the plate 28. t handle 36 isattachedto the rockshaft inned or otherwise 341, and rovides4 for the raising and lowera of fh. wl or dog 33 into and out of @Il my'. im

v n t with the toothed wheel 32.' Va operation the hand wheel 17, upon roi tation 1n one direction, will cause the rack d 3' thus made to move farther apart. -aprellmnnary-to this operation, theop-l `erator Meh the :u upwar y with his foot to remove the pawl or d'og 33 from the toothed wheel 32, as otherwise no movement of the sie 16 could be had.

lin other words, the ,pawl and toothedwheel provide for the locking of the ground.l wheels 4 .and 5, and the plows 2 and 3 in the position to which they are adjusted. When the hand' wheel 17 is rotated in an opposite direction, 'the pinion 15 will, cooperate witlif the rack portions13 and 14 and will in this case draw the ground Wheels 4 and and the shovels 2 and 3 closer together.

n wiu be undasaod that these adjuge ments may be simply accomplished by the turnin of the hand' wheel 17 while the machine 1s actually progressing through the eld, or the machine may be set up before into the field, and with the toothed whee eng the parts will not b'e at to move .out-.o their adjusted position. owever, themachine is very desirable in accom lishing this adjustment quickly in acf cor 1 with theirregular character of the middle and' hills, or rows, and due yto the nent ot the are the operation may ready mer.

.theshaft 16 willbe A Aratchet wheel 32 `and the inion 15. A

19 is alsoprovided with-'longiof ooursellit the handle 36, or-

neeaees Moreover, by

the han@ wheel 17 or; as will the aan 37 is provided in the "sv 19 above ,-.e 31 in order to receive the pinion and consequently ts-ground wheel may be moved tods the tongue 1, or the center of the macihne. Thisl adjustment may also be quickly and y accomplishw.

n will benna@ that the bleek i9r is;

so constructed that it 'may relace'the block at the present time pla tongue of the' cultivator,by which such beneath theY tongue is connected to the' arched axles.

Moreover, it will be apprecia'tt it af'- fords an adjustment while the machine'is inpro. j

lt will be obvious that various modifica tions might be made in the herein described device,'a nd in the combination and arrangement of parts which could be used without departing from thespirit of my invention; and. l do not mean to. limit the invention to such details except as particularly pointed' vout in the claims.- thus described my invention what Having I claimv and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United tes is 1. 1n a cultivator, the combination of a pair of axle sections having their adjacent ends extending side by side insubstantially parallel relation, sleeves receivin the adjacent ends of said sections, said s eeves having racks thereon, `a pimon meshing with e the pinion may be turned, su starb.

weils wheel on the shaft above the tongue, a ivoted wl cooperating with the toot ed wheel and means whereby the pawl may be moved out of en with the toothed wheel substantially as described'.

3. lin an icultural draft tongue, a pair of o set axle sections in parallel relation benh the tongue, a block 4 centering meansl contactlng with the sies of the tongue and ttin s, f1: the bottom thereof, mid block sli said axle sections,-a plate imleinent having a I over the top of the tongue, fastening means passing through the tongue, plate and said block, -a liftable shaft inserted through said plate, tongue and block, sleeves secured' on the axle sections, means on the shaft having engagement with the sleeves on the axle sections to shift the latter inwardly and outwardly and being disengageable therefrom when lifted, a toothed wheel on the shaft above the plate also liftable with the shaft, and a dog adapted to engage between the teeth, said' toothed wheel bein disengaged from the dog when the shaft 1s lifted, and means to rotate and lift the shaft substantially as described.

JOHN B. RILEY. 

